Dr. Lynne Dardenne has dedicated nearly 37 years to improving the minds of Arkansas County children. The work will now continue under a new title, superintendent of the DeWitt School District.

DeWitt Board of Education President Johnny Lockley said the board has hired Dardenne to replace present superintendent Gary Wayman, who is leaving to accept another position.

"I'm very excited, honored to be selected as the DeWitt superintendent," she said. "I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and working with the district."

For Dardenne, "it's a bit bittersweet to leave friends and colleagues," although she is excited about the new opportunity. She will start her new position July 1.

"I just felt like it was the best fit for out situation," Lockley said, adding that they interviewed three candidates. "All were qualified candidates. Dr. Dardenne being that close knew our district, knew where we were and where we wanted to go. She'll be the catalyst to get us there. We are all excited."

During the first few weeks, Dardenne said her initial plans will be to get to know the district and develop a "positive relationship" with all the stakeholders within the district.

"I plan to meet people, talk with them, listen to them and get to know the community," Dardenne said. "I want to know what their traditions are and just get a feel for what the community envisions the school district to be."

Lockley said the district's continuous goal is also to improve the quality of education it provides students. The economy and education can't be separated since it goes hand and hand.

"We're losing population, students," Lockley said, adding that the school district is one of the first things people look at when moving to a new location. The district needs to further itself in becoming an attractive place for students and parents.

It's also a main goal for Dardenne, who said, "Educational excellence opportunities for all students in the DeWitt School District will continue and always be a focus."

These opportunities will include moving forward to meet the new Common Core requirements as it moves into grades 9-12 as well as implement new teacher evaluation standards.

"Just providing a safe learning environment for all the students," Dardenne continued. "Providing 21st century classrooms for teachers and students, making sure that we look at what technology they have and what is going to be needed for them to be college and career ready."

Her final goals are to make sure the district is able to function in the 21st century — "it's not something that happens overnight. With that, we'll start looking at those things.

"Just reviewing the district's plans that they have for school improvement, technology, facilities, everything that is part of the organization and we'll also be waiting for test scores to come back just like all the schools in the state," she said.

Page 2 of 2 - Dardenne received her bachelor's degree at Henderson University, her master's degree at Arkansas State University and her doctorate at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

However, her first job came a year after she graduated from Henderson. Dardenne said she was 19-years-old when Superintendent Ned Moseley hired her as a sixth- through 12th-grade teacher for world history and American history in 1976.

"He took a chance and hired me and I am very grateful for that," she said.

She eventually became a social studies teacher at the middle school before moving into the school's administration in 2001. She served as assistant principal, the communications director, the junior high principal, director of federal programs and interim superintendent before becoming the assistant superintendent in 2011.

"Without the experiences I've had in this district I would not be able to move forward into this new phase with confidence," she said. "I've been blessed to have mentors here that have been supportive of me and supportive of my efforts to grow professionally."

These mentors include David Wood, Gaye Rusk, Linda Scott, Dr. Laura Bednar and Dr. Melvin Bryant — "they have all given me chances to assume leadership roles and responsibilities that have led me to this point, including the school board allowing me to attend training and assume roles to further my career."

Professionally, Dardenne serves on the board of the Arkansas Association for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment and has just finished a seven-year term as a member of the Board of Visitors for the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. She served as the board's chairman for the past two years.

Locally, she is also in the Stuttgart Rotary Club, CODE, Stuttgart Unlimited and has worked with a local boy scouts troop.

Dardenne, an Arkadelphia native, has lived her whole adult life in and around Stuttgart. She is married to Ray Dardenne, a former Stuttgart teacher who now farms and works as an agriculture consultant in Arkansas and Jefferson counties. The couple has one son Matthew who, along with his wife, has three children.

The couple will continue to have a home in Stuttgart for now, although Dardenne said the couple would have a second residence within the DeWitt School District.

"I feel it is really important to be within the district to develop a relationship with the residents," she said, adding that she has fond memories of Stuttgart and hopes to continue having a working relationship.